King’s College, Taunton

We are house sitting in a home that stands opposite the magnificent buildings of Kings College. A posh school. A fee paying boarding and day school. Funny how we say that. It’s not the school that pays the fees, but the parents.

There are three very prestigious private boarding schools in Taunton and they all have magnificent buildings!

I think Kings College used to be for boys whereas Queen’s College used to be for girls. They are now both coeducational, meaning open to both genders.

The College is a secondary school whereas they have a junior school, (or a preparatory school as they’re known in English private school circles) in a nearby village called Kingston St Mary. It’s called King’s School.

The family that I’m housesitting for has a 14 year-old daughter who goes across the road to school. She is officially a day-boarder because she lives so near but within the fees she is allowed to stay one night per week at the school. She also pops across to see friends in the evening and at weekends. Kings College has the antiquated practice of holding a school session each Saturday morning so she’s the only person who has to get up to go to school on Saturdays.

I’ve noticed that there are some Kings College students living in the next door house as well. Very handy.

It’s even handier for the two youngest girls in this household because they are educated at home. Quite a contrast.